Quick + Easy 30 Minute Marinara Sauce

With all of the different specialty pasta dishes that you find in restaurants these days (seriously — creamy truffle everything), good ol’ tomato sauce isn’t celebrated nearly as much as it used be. When’s the last time you walked into one of the newest and hippest Italian joints and saw “pomodoro” on the menu? If I had to guess, I would say probably not in the last 12 years, give or take.

KIDDING.. but only slightly. Now, everyone’s main concern is going for that WOW factor, and traditional pomodoro sauce almost seems like a thing of the past.

That being said, a few of things run through my mind whenever I start think about this heartbreaking situation:

1) why am I even thinking about this?

2) is a tiny bottle of truffle sauce really worth $29.99?

3) exactly *why* is truffle sauce so expensive?

4) do I really need to change my bedsheets out once a week?

Err, forget that last one. ADHD is a hell of a disease.

What I’m trying to say here -> I’m kind of salty about this whole ‘tomato sauce not getting enough love’ debacle. Did I make this all up in my head? Probably. But my feelings towards this have partly to do with the fact that I really freaking love tomato sauce, and partly because I think I know why it is that less and less people are making it.

They think it takes hours upon hours and that couldn’t be more wrong.

The truth is, all you need is about 30 minutes to whip up a basic (but delicious!!!) marinara sauce that can be used on pastas, pizzas, as a dipping sauce, eaten with a spoon straight out of the pot — you name it.

Also, call me nuts, but I’ve been known to put this in a bowl, top it with crackers, and write it off as soup.

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook your diced up onion until translucent. Add in freshly minced garlic and toss for another 30 seconds-1 minute, or until fragrant. Add in crushed tomatoes, red chili flakes, fresh basil + oregano, and salt/pepper to taste. Stir everything together to combined then bring tomato mixture to a boil. Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer on the stove for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust your salt & pepper, then topped with some more fresh basil or oregano! Use this on your favorite pasta, on top of pizza crust, or dump it in a bowl and call it tomato soup!